The first time I went to Zammour, I arrived in the late evening when the sun had already set and we had tried to navigate the dark watching out to not hit a crossing hedgehog on the road. When I stepped out of the car, I could not see much details of the area, yet instead, I was overwhelmed by the starlit sky. I think I had never seen so many stars in my life up until that point. When the sun had returned in the morning, I stepped outside of the house where I was sleeping to have a walk around the village. I went up the hills to get a view on the area. While I was sitting and observing the endless variations of brown and yellow that colour the hills, taking in a new breath of fresh air, listening to the crowing of roosters down in the village, a barking dog and some bleating sheep, I felt a peace and calmness I had not felt in a long time. On that hill, I fell in love with Zammour. A love that was only going to be more consolidated when I started to get to know the families and people of Zammour in the festival that was taking place in the days to come.
For two years in a row now, I have been going to the outdoor festival in this small village in the south of Tunisia: Zammour Trekking. This four-day festival allows participants to enjoy outdoor activities such as cycling, hiking and ziplining in the mountains while getting to know the local traditions and histories of Zammour. I have always participated as a volunteer, which involved cleaning the area of any rubbish, putting up tents and making signs in the days and hours prior to the start of the festival.
During the festival, I would spend my mornings and evenings in the pop-up kitchen located in an old primary school, serving breakfast and dinner to all the hungry festival participants. I have worked in many kitchens and restaurants throughout my 29-year old existence, but working in the kitchen of Zammour Trekking does not compare to any of my previous experiences. It was more rule than exception that my co-volunteers would break out into singing and dancing. I remember the first time this happened and I was very confused. I was trying to ensure everything would happen fast and efficient and considered the timing of this singing and dancing explosion as inconvenient. We did not plan to sing and dance now, did we? What would the guests think of this now their plate of food might be 2 minutes delayed???
I quickly saw that the guests joined my co-volunteers in the singing and dancing. In fact, within a split second, everyone was singing and dancing! Yes, there is a difference between the behaviour of introverts and extraverts, but not when it comes to singing and dancing in Tunisia, so it seems. Everyone was clapping their hands, shaking their hips, some jumped on tables or hit doors or chairs with a flat hand to make extra noise. I was the only one left who had not yet joined the singing and dancing, still thinking about the timelyness of it all. But after a minute observing what had just unfolded in front of me, I let go of my fixation on efficiency and joined the party. Even though I did not yet know the words of the songs they were singing, I mummed along with the melodies and jumped and danced along with strangers who I now call my friends.
Throughout the hours and days following that moment, such singing and dancing explosions would emerge again and again. Always unplanned, always quickly involving everyone. But what causes it? Is it something in the water? Something we served from the kitchen? Some magical sent that travels in the wind turning the deeply burned out into the biggest party animals? I guess it’s the amour that is just fundamentally inscribed in this small town in the south of Tunisia. Oh Zam(m)our.
To find out more about Zammour Trekking and perhaps participate in the upcoming festival this November, go to: www.zammourtrekking.com
